Dear Readers,

Among all the stories in recent years about public officials in California raking in outrageous salaries, the Monterey Peninsula now has one of the best: A school janitor whose compensation last year totalled more than $109,000. Mary Schley has that story.

Pebble Beach is home to many VIPs, and now another familiar name has been added to the list. Former VP Dan Quayle bought a home last week next to MPCC. Chris Counts has that one.

Dozens of victims of credit card fraud have come forward after patronizing a local gas station that was repeatedly hit with card skimmers. Mary has that one, too.

Carmel terminated two popular city employees in recent weeks, without so much as one word of public explanation from taciturn city manager Jason Stilwell. A California appellate court on Thursday affirmed the ability of cities to ban medical marijuana dispensaries. A softball player at Carmel High has emerged as one of the state's best. A local filmmaker is asking for your help in producing a documentary about her father, who was an emergency room physician at Parkland Hospital in Dallas in November 1963. Our Real Estate Section this week includes a special section, In Your Dreams, about outstanding local homes. And my editorial warns against too much optimism in the wake of this week's U.S. Supreme Court hearings on gay marriage.

Here at The Pine Cone, amid the cacophony of information available online and from various other sources, we strive toward a simple goal -- to bring you outstanding, comprehensive coverage of local news -- and your interest is an essential part of that effort. Please feel free to email me with your questions, comments or concerns about our newspaper, or about how best to read it on your computer, smartphone or iPad.

To get this week's complete Pine Cone, please click here. If you have an informed opinion about one of our stories and would like to submit a letter to the editor, please click here. And please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

To return to the download page for the March 29, 2013, edition, please click here.